The Fascination Economy

There's more, better, cleverer and sharper content than ever before, being ruthlessly thrust at consumers everyday, and in increasingly (and alarmingly) sophisticated ways. Advertising and marketing content is now ubiquitous, and AI is weaving it into the fabric of every sensory interface we engage with, with unprecedented accuracy. Add to this, our continued reliance on smartphones as our default remote control for life, and it's not surprising that most of us today live with an Attention Deficit. Barely able to complete basic tasks such as paying for groceries, having a conversation with a colleague or friend, crossing the road, helping our kids with their homework or ordering a coffee, without being distracted or checking a 'screen' every 20 secs (or less).

The growing, and poignant challenge for brands dealing with attention deficient consumers, is being able to lead them across the fascination threshold, and into that increasingly elusive place where they can engage them enough to stimulate meaningful connection, and ignite the foundations of a relationship.

Arguably, this is one of the principal motivations behind brands that are (or should be) turning to VR and other immersive technologies. 'Good' VR and AR - and to be clear, I mean immersive experiences that address real human insights, solve real human problems, or unlock fresh and better ways of learning, playing and discovering - effortlessly counter-balance the attention deficit. They burrow deep into those parts of consumers' imaginations that are becoming increasingly harder to reach, and tap into that most valuable of emotive currencies - Fascination.

Isn't it too easy to say we're in business of VR, AR, MR etc...? Shouldn't we talk about being in the business of Fascination? Purveyors of immersive content solutions and experiences born at the confluence of story-telling, creative technology and business. That cut through-the-static of everyday marketing and communications, turn the attention deficit syndrome on its head, and trades-in fascination, for shares in hearts, minds and wallets.